I read this in the Hidden Life of Trees.
In a woodland canopy, if two trees of the same species are growing near to each other, their branches won’t overlap.
But when different species of trees grow side-by-side, they do compete and overlap.
This incredible. When the tips of tree branches approach one another, they somehow know, and take the most appropriate action. Without drawings, without meetings and with BIM (building information modelling). They sense, respond and coordinate — in realtime and and mid-air.
Contrast this with a modern, multidisciplinary design team trying to avoid clashes between all the interlacing systems in a building. Even with powerful computer models we find it difficult for one building system not to bump into another.
The living world makes coordination look easy.
